Photo by Douglass Huxley Maria Francisco, center, poses for a picture with supporters after being named the new principal at Parkersburg South High School. Francisco will begin her tenure July 1.

PARKERSBURG –Maria Francisco was named the new principal at Parkersburg South High School Tuesday night during the regular meeting of the Wood County Board of Education.

“I am very proud that we can move forward and believe that Ms. Francisco will be a wonderful asset in leading my alma mater,” Board President Justin Raber said.

Francisco will begin her tenure as the new head of the school on July 1.

The board also recognized Emma Barker, Kynlee Parsons and Morgan Wicker from Blennerhassett Middle School for being 2024 Golden Horseshoe winners. The students could not attend the May 28 meeting where most of the students from Wood County were recognized due to an eighth grade promotion ceremony.

Director of Curriculum and Instruction Ashlee Beatty and Curriculum Coordinator Candace Lewis gave the board an end-of-year update on i-Ready. The pair shared student performance data showing significant improvements in reading and math proficiency.

“You can see the trend is definitely the way that we want it to go,” Beatty said.

In reading, the percentage of students performing two or more grade levels below dropped from 27% to 16%, while those performing at or above grade level increased from 31% to 67%. Similar gains were seen across all grade levels. In math, the number of students at or above grade level doubled, rising from 20% to 62%, and those two or more levels below decreased from 26% to 13%.

Beatty said teachers who participated in the year-long LETRS program, a comprehensive literacy and language professional development that accelerates teacher knowledge, saw more of an increase than those who did not.

She said the cohort data showed a 5% increase in the number of students meeting grade level standards in reading and math.

“So they spent an entire year studying,” Beatty said. “They took it to their classroom and practice. We met again and again and again. And I think they’re seeing it in their results.”

She said those results have the district’s performance exceeding both national and state averages.

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources John Merritt gave the board an update on human resources. He said there have been challenges filling special education and STEM positions but progress has been made through principal recommendations.

“Hats off to the principals because they’re doing an amazing job getting their faculty centers together,” Merritt said. “Sometimes it can take three weeks to get that information and we’re getting a lot of that information very quickly.”

Merritt told the board there are 29 openings, with 15 still left on the non-renew list, but that the situation is constantly evolving as employees shift positions. Board member Rick Olcott asked if they could receive a more updated list after the meeting to get a sense of where they are at the end of June.

The next regular meeting of the board is scheduled for July 9 at 6 p.m. at the board offices located at the corner of 13th and Plum streets in Parkersburg. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed online.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com

Items approved during the consent agenda:

* Kanawha HVAC Pay App 2 in the amount of $6,480

* 2024 Paving Projects McKee Change Order 1 in the amount of $18,503

* Memorandum of Understanding for Communities in Schools to support students at Jefferson Elementary, VanDevender Middle School, and Parkersburg High School

* MOU with Coplin Clinic to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Davita Dialysis Center to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Dr. Orton Armstrong to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Dr. William Tomilson to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Elizabeth Care Center/Providence Health Group to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Freedom Family Health Care to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Harmony Ridge Recovery Center to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Memorial Health System to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Ohio Valley Healthcare to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Parkersburg Cardiology Associates to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Ritchie Regional Health Center to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Westbrook to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* MOU with Willows Center to provide clinical hours for the students enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program

* agreement with Camden Clark Memorial Hospital Corporation to assist BOE in developing and maintaining an athletic training program designed to reduce athletic injuries and promote the safe and prompt rehabilitation of students after athletic injuries at the middle and high schools at the respective fees as stated within the agreement document

* a short-term lease agreement between Wood County Schools and the Wood County Recreation Commission to transport school-aged children to the Grand Central Mall on June 26, 2024, with stated fees set as forth in the contract

* a short-term lease agreement between Wood County Schools and the Wood County Recreation Commission to transport school-aged children to Discovery World on July 8, 2024, with stated fees set as forth in the contract

* confirmation of the real property auction conducted by the Superintendent, or the Superintendent’s designee, on June 7, 2024, pursuant to WV Code § 18-5-7, regarding a portion of a certain tract or parcel of land designated as Tax Parcel S1 on Tax Map 50, in Slate District, Wood County, West Virginia, containing approximately 0.29 acres, and authorization of the President of the Board to execute a deed and any other documents on behalf of the Board necessary to effectuate the auction sale

* authorization of the President of the Board to enter into a deed and other documents on behalf of the Board with C. Wesley Bargeloh to acquire a portion of a certain tract or parcel of land designated as Tax Parcel S on Tax Map 50, in Slate District, Wood County, West Virginia, containing approximately 0.23 acres